What You Mean
by GenvieveWoolf
Summary: After their tiff and make-up in Houston, Kelly And Kasey still have a rocky relationship. Can Kasey get the security she longs for without crushing Kelly's independence? Rated T because I'm not sure where things will go in future parts. xp
1. Torture

_This story was requested by Evaesis. It's sort of a sequel to "The Friend," though it can stand alone. Kasey is her character. The Bad News Bears and their cannon are not my property, but the writing is. Enjoy!_  


* * *

"I dunno."

"You don't know?"

"Look, if I actually admit to not knowing something, you better believe I don't know." Kelly rolled his eyes and waited for Kasey to leave.

"Got big plans or something?" Kasey ventured.

Kelly's frown got more foreboding. "Nah. It's just that my old man's gonna be in town this week. So I dunno."

"Really? His name's Mike, right?"

Kelly lit a cigarette. "So?"

"He seemed really cool when I met him. He was a great coach for the team, too."

"Hmm." Kelly couldn't argue with that. Looking out at the field, he observed the Bears' current coach, a stern, unapproachable man. Any day he expected Tanner to kick the coach in the shins, or for Engelberg light his pants on fire. Heck, Amanda could coach better. Maybe he should call her…

"Did you hear me?"

"Huh?"

Kasey sighed. "I said when is he coming?"

"Tomorrow."

"Hey, Leak!" the coach shouted. "Are you part o' this outfit, or what?"

Kelly took his cigarette out of his mouth to yell back, "I was gonna ask you that!"

"Get your butt on the field, or it's off the team!"

"Give me a minute to think it over!"

"C'mon, Kelly," the other Bears pleaded. "We need ya!"

Kelly sighed. "I gotta go," he said, not bothering to look at Kasey as he left the bench.

"OK, I'll see ya later," Kasey said. "Just think it over, ok?"

Kelly didn't look back but he waved over his shoulder at her to show he had heard.

* * *

The next time Kasey went to watch the Bears warm up, she found Mike Leak sitting on the bench. "Hi, Mister Leak. Kelly told me you were coming," she said with a smile.

"Oh, just call me Mike. You're Kasey, right?"

"Yeah. You remembered."

"Of course. Do you come watch the team often?"

"When I can. Dance keeps me pretty busy, though."

"Are you taking lessons?"

"Well, yes. Tap and jazz once a week, ballet twice a week. But since we have a big performance this weekend I've had two lessons plus two rehearsals the last two weeks… it's pretty intense."

"Really," Mike said, and he actually sounded impressed and interested, rather than bored. "What are you performing? Is it too late to get tickets?"

It was all Kasey could do to keep from gasping. And Kelly had acted like Mike's presence would keep him from going! "Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. I'm sure there are still tickets for sale—I'm hoping the team will come. We're doing Swan Lake at the town center." She paused. She hated to sound snobby, but she wanted to emphasize that this was very important to her, so she added quietly, "I have the lead part."

Mike's nod was definitely impressed this time. He looked almost like he was proud of her, even though they barely knew each other. "That's great. Are your folks going to be there?"

Kelly must not have told Mike that her mother was dead. Kasey wondered briefly if Kelly talked about her at all, but she pushed the thought aside. "My dad… he's at Santa Anita with the horses right now. He said he'd try to make it back on Saturday, but there's an important race in the afternoon that day, and if it goes well, he may want to stay at the track a while… I actually doubt he'll be back in time." She tried not to sound too forlorn.

"Ah, that's too bad. Did you tell Kelly about it?"

"Yeah… he wasn't sure if he could come or not…"

"I'll talk him into it," Mike said immediately, winking at her.

At first, Kasey felt worried—Kelly might resent their ganging up on him. But then she smiled. She trusted Mike to handle it well. After all, he was a responsible adult. "Thanks. So, what do you think of this coach?"

Mike took his time answering. Finally, he said, "I guess they'll break him in within a couple of weeks. That or he'll quit."

Kasey laughed. He knew the Bears well. "I just hope it happens before Kelly decides to quit."

"I don't think he will. He's got a temper, but he knows the guys need him. He came through for them the last time he had issues with the coach, right?"

Kasey glanced at Mike and saw that he was smiling facetiously. He knew very well, that he had been Kelly's last problem coach. She smiled back at him. "He's a good guy," she said.

"I'm glad you think so. Makes me kind of proud, even though I didn't raise him."

* * *

Kelly wasn't sure he liked the way Kasey and his father seemed to be hitting it off. Like they were plotting something. Dealing with Kasey was annoying enough… dealing with Mike was stressful enough. Dealing with both of them was going to be torture. He had to make sure he was only dealing with one or the other—not both.

When practice was over, he took the bull by the horns.

"Mike, is it ok if I meet you back at your hotel room? I thought I'd take Kasey home."

"Sure," Mike agreed.

As expected, Kasey had no objection. _Any chance to get her arms around me,_ Kelly thought with bias.

It was almost impossible to talk on the motorcycle, so Kelly didn't try until they arrived at the gate of the Goodings' luxurious home and he cut the engine.

"So, what were you and Mike talking about? Looked like you were having a great ol' time."

"Yeah," Kasey said, climbing off the bike. "Your dad's really great. He really cares about you."

Kelly frowned. This wasn't where he wanted the conversation to go.

"I told him about my performance this weekend—"

"About that," Kelly cut in. "I don't think I can go."

"Well… why not? Mike seemed interested in going, and…"

"It's not that."

"So, what is it?"

She waited for him to answer, and Kelly knew she wouldn't move or speak until he did. It ticked him off. "I'm not into this ballet stuff, ok?" He knew it sounded lame.

…But then, so did ballet, in his opinion.

"I know it's not your thing, but… I'd like you to see what it looks like. You might enjoy it."

"Like you said, it's your thing, not mine."

"But you've never seen a performance of mine. It'd be nice if you'd be there to support me."

He hated that soft, patient voice she was using. Like she thought he was the spoiled brat here. "It's not like I'm your husband."

She actually gasped, and Kelly knew he'd gone a little too far.

"OK, what is it like?" she demanded.

"I'm not even your boyfriend and you act like I've got to be involved in everything you do…" he searched for better words to convey what he was feeling, but it seemed as if only harsh, abrupt things would come to the surface right now. "You're always tagging after me and now you want me to tag after you. I'm tired of it. I just want to be on my own sometimes."

Kasey looked close to tears now, but she held her voice steady. "So what was that in Houston? Apparently it takes more than making out with a girl to make you her boyfriend, so let's hear it. What are your requirements?"

Now she had gone too far. She was saying he was a cad. "It's not like that, ok. We were both confused and I felt bad for you and it was just one of those things…"

"So, it was a casual fling? You were just playing with me?"

She'd hit too many nerves in a row. Besides, was it so wrong to have a fling now and then? "What if I was?" he said hotly.

Next thing he knew, the world had gone white for a split second. Then his left cheek started to sting.

_She hit me. Holy crap, she actually hit me…. And it actually hurt…_

"How… how dare you say that?" She was shaking, and a tear finally spilled over. "Get out of here. If that's how you feel, then get out of here! If you come back, I'll have you run off!"

She was getting hysterical, and Kelly wanted nothing more than to leave, but he felt like just leaving would be like telling her she had won, so he retorted. "Fine, I'm going! I said my piece and I've got no reason to come back."

He kick-started the bike and sped away, not looking back.

* * *

_More to follow. Hope you enjoyed chapter one. :)_


	2. Confusion

_The angst continues... See previous chapter for credits/notes.  
_

* * *

"We're gonna get going so we can take Kasey her flowers before the performance. You sure you won't come with us?" Mike asked for the third time.

"I'm sure," Kelly said. Mike thought he sounded like he was trying very hard not to lose his temper.

"OK. I'll see you later, then."

He led the Bears outside to where Kelly's bike was parked beside his rental van. As the other Bears piled into the van, Mike heard Tanner say,

"What's a couple cruddy hours in a theater, Kelly? You'll be kickin' yourself tomorrow because the rest of us will have seen Kasey in tights."

"Screw off, Tanner."

Mike wasn't sure whether he was more bothered by Kelly's choice of words, or the fact that it didn't seem to ruffle Tanner in the slightest.

* * *

The town center had a good-sized stage, and it took the Bears a lot of time and a few awkward moments to find and successfully enter the backstage area. Someone finally decided they weren't there to ruin the show and directed them to Kasey's dressing room. Mike knocked on the door.

"Come in," Kasey called.

The Bears nearly trampled Mike on their way in.

"Holy crow!" Tanner exclaimed. "Get a load o' Gooding without any levis!"

"Shut up," Kasey told him, but she was smiling.

Mike admired Kasey's ornate hairdo decorated with white feathers. "You look beautiful," he told her honestly.

"Thanks." Kasey looked down at the floor and smiled.

Lupis brought the bouquet of pink carnations out from behind his back. "We brought you these," he said softly.

"Oh! Looper, thank you," Kasey exclaimed, giving the undersized boy a hug.

Lupis blushed.

"Heck, Looper, they're from all of us," Engelberg said, messing up Lupis's hair.

"OK, guys," Mike said, "we'd better let Kasey finish getting ready. Come on."

"Thanks for coming," Kasey said, looking around at each of them.

Mike knew she was looking for Kelly. He decided to be diplomatic and try to earn his son a second chance. "Kelly's sorry he couldn't make it," he said.

Kasey bit her lip. "Thanks," she said at last.

He knew he hadn't fooled her. Her look said: "No he's not, but dangit, he will be!"

* * *

It was a bit crazy getting all the boys into their seats. Once they found the correct seats, the boys started arguing about who was sitting by whom. Tanner didn't want to sit by Engelberg because he had smuggled food into the theater and Tanner didn't want to hear his smacking. Lupis didn't want to be stuck between two large people. Ahmad didn't want to sit behind the lady with the big hat because he couldn't see…

But finally everyone was settled and looking over the program. _Act I – a magnificent park before a castle._

Mike glanced at the empty aisle seat on his left. He wondered if Kelly still had the ticket Mike had bought for him. In a few minutes the theater doors would close, and late-comers weren't allowed in until intermission.

"Hey," Carmen said, elbowing Ogilvie. "See that jock down near the front? Don't he look familiar?"

"Course he does," Toby put in. "That's Bobby Meyers. He's the new star pitcher on the Yankees team."

"The Yankees' old pitcher was their old coach's son," Tanner told Mike. "That kid kinda messed things up for them last year, and his father had a fit. He and his son both quit baseball, at least for now."

"That's too bad," Mike said, deciding that at this point it would do no good to tell Tanner that gossiping wasn't polite.

Ahmad shushed them. "The lights are going down! It's starting!"

Mike soon stopped wondering about Kelly, distracted by the amusing whispered comments from the team. It was obvious that most of them had never been to this kind of cultural event. A few people seemed annoyed with the constant whispering—some of the boys needed a running commentary to understand what was going on—but they made it to the intermission without any major incidents.

Mike herded the boys toward the bathroom, knowing that it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Kelly!" Carmen said, spotting Kelly near the entrance.

"Go ahead, fellas," Mike told the others. "I'll wait out here for you."

While the team formed a line at the restroom door, Mike went to talk to his son.

"So, did you just get here?" Mike asked.

Kelly shook his head. "No; I just decided to stand at the back. I hate crowds."

"Right," Mike said, accepting the blatant lie. "You want to come sit with us for the second half? The view would be better. I saved you the aisle seat."

Kelly hesitated, then nodded. "Sure, I guess so."

"Good. Do you have a program?"

* * *

The Bears behaved a bit better during the third and fourth acts, but Kelly felt uneasy. Ballet was something so foreign to him, he didn't know how he felt about it. He also didn't know how he felt about Prince Siegfried touching Odette—Kasey—so much. Under her arms, on her waist, even her hips at one point…. Apparently this was all normal ballet stuff, but Kelly wondered why it was allowed to be performed in public. She was graceful and beautiful, but he seemed predatory. Maybe it was just his imagination…

Suddenly, he saw Bobby Meyers in the front of the audience. It was dark, but Kelly would have known that profile anywhere. And the way his gaze seemed glued to Kasey made his stomach feel strange. Kelly could feel his face getting hot. He wanted to give Bobby a fastball to the gut. He wanted to tell him that their old pitcher, a girl, could have struck him out any day. And most of all, he wanted to threaten Bobby's life if he looked at Kasey like that again.

But he couldn't do any of those things and he knew it. So he just smoldered through the rest of the performance, trying not to look at Bobby Meyers. Or the male ballet dancers. Or Kasey herself, for that matter, but it was hard to take his eyes off her, beautiful as she was in her costume.

It made him feel very confused. He was still angry with Kasey, but he knew he'd said things he didn't mean. At least, he didn't mean them now.

_I __think__…_ It was all so confusing. One thing he knew for certain was that he felt regret. Exactly what for, he wasn't so sure. But he knew he couldn't go on like this much longer.

* * *

_That's it for now; comments are welcome._


	3. Loyalty

_Same notes as before. Warning: this chapter contains a bit more swearing than I usually put in, but nothing you've never heard before, I'm sure.  
_

* * *

Kasey knew she had seen Kelly sitting with the team after intermission, but he didn't come to see her when the performance was over. To distract herself, she called her father on her way to the parking lot.

"Hi, baby," Mr. Gooding answered. "Sorry I couldn't be there. Did it go ok?"

"Yeah, it went fine," Kasey told him. "We can watch the recording when you get back. How was the race?"

"'Rish placed! That eight to one shot Masterful actually won by almost six lengths, but 'Rish nosed out the third place at the last second. It was quite a race for him."

"That's great," Kasey said, smiling when she thought about the big colt even though she wished her father could have stayed home.

"Did the boys make it to the show?"

"Yeah… they brought me flowers."

"Aww," her father drawled. "That's sweet."

"Dad."

She heard someone else speaking in the background before he spoke again. "I need to get going, Kas, but I'll be home tomorrow night, ok? We'll catch up then."

"OK. Bye."

As she closed her phone, a young man stepped up next to her.

"Hi—you're Kasey Gooding, right? Odette?"

"Yes," she said, giving him a small smile. "Did you enjoy the performance?"

"Did I!" the boy replied enthusiastically. "You were great."

"Thanks. What was your name?"

"Bobby. Bobby Meyers."

Kasey took a better look at him. "You look familiar. Do you play ball?"

"Yeah. I'm the Yankees' new pitcher."

"Oh, right. I saw you at your last game with the Bears."

"You're a fan, then?"

"Definitely. I go to all their games."

Bobby's smile faltered. "The Bears?"

"Yes. They're my team."

"Oh, we have to do something about that," he said teasingly.

* * *

"Tanner, what's your problem?" Engelberg demanded when the smaller boy missed a groundball.

Tanner scowled at him. "Aw, where the heck's Kasey? She hasn't been to a practice in two weeks."

"She's probably busy with her dancing," Feldman suggested.

"But she just finished that big ballet thing—you'd think she could take it easy now."

Kelly wanted to cuss Tanner out, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself just now, so he was glad when Engelberg antagonized him instead.

"If ya care so much, why don'tcha get your head back in the game and call her later?"

"Hey," the coach called, "are you boys here to practice baseball, or discuss Kasey Gooding's social calendar? Let's wake up!"

* * *

The Bears didn't see Kasey again until they went to watch their competition. It was Yankees vs Dodgers, another local team. The Bears were sitting together sizing the other teams up.

"When I'm too old for this team, I'm goin' pro, man," Ahmad said.

"Me too," said Engelberg, chomping a hotdog.

"At what, eating contests?" Tanner demanded.

"You really think you'll play pro baseball?" Lupis asked in awe.

Ahmad nodded. "Sure. Ain't gonna sit around here for the rest of my life…"

"Hey, fellas… is that Kasey?" Carmen asked, pointing rudely.

Kelly pushed Carmen's arm down. "Cut it out."

"It is! She's right there! And she's in the Yanks' dugout!"

"Nuh-uh!" Tanner exclaimed, looking up suddenly. "Oh my unprintable word, you're right!"

Stein gave Tanner a weird look. "It's not like we're running a newspaper here, Tanner."

"If I don't specify, it lets your imagination run wild," Tanner explained. "But forget that—what the heck's she doing over there? Doesn't she know that's the enemy?"

"Shut up," Kelly snapped. "She can sit wherever the hell she wants."

The other Bears kept their comments about Kasey quiet after that… until after the game, when Kasey left with Bobby Meyers.

"She was with him," Tanner pointed out. "Not even like just being polite either."

"What do you know about being polite, Tanner?" Ogilvie inquired.

"So she has no team loyalty," Kelly said carelessly. "She's a Yankees chick now, so let's forget about her."

Tanner wouldn't be silenced. "Forget her, nothin'. Just cuz she's mad at you don't mean she's gotta take it out on the team, and I think someone oughtta tell her that."

"Tanner, you open your damn mouth one more time, I'm gonna feed you your hat, got it?"

* * *

"Kelly? I haven't heard from you in ages. What's up?"

Amanda's voice calmed him a bit. "Not much," he lied. "The team's kinda crippled without you, though."

"That's crap, Kelly. I heard your new pitcher stole the show in Houston."

"Well… I didn't say he's bad or anything. You were just better."

"OK, now I know you want something."

Kelly laughed. "I just called to talk, I swear. Though I admit I wouldn't mind having you back on the team."

"Not a chance, kid. They tell me I'm going places in this modeling gig."

"Think you'll get back into dancing?"

"Nah… it was a lot of fun while it lasted, but I can't do both. That would take way too much time and be really stressful, you know? Hey, are you actually interested, or just making conversation?"

"I don't know. It's just… my old man was in town and we went to see the ballet at the town center."

"Oh! Was it good? Gee, if I'd known you were going, I'd have gone to see it, too."

"It was kind of… last minute. I guess it was good. I'm not much of a judge. Listen… even if you're not into ball much these days, maybe we could hang out sometime. I don't like trying to catch up on the phone."

"Sure," Amanda said, sounding a little surprised. "When's your next practice? I'll catch the end of it and we can grab lunch at the corner."

"Tomorrow—ten o'clock."

"OK, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Kelly was surprised at how easily she'd been talked into coming. And even though he knew his crush on Amanda was well over, he was also pleasantly surprised to sense the first really good feeling he'd had since his fight with Kasey. Seeing Amanda again would do him good, he was sure.

* * *

_To be continued... dun dun DUN! lol_


	4. Advice

_As usual, the BNB characters aren't mine and Kasey belongs to Evaesis. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

Kelly knew the team would bombard him with questions the next time he saw them, but he ignored their staring and gossiping as he started his motorcycle and let Amanda climb on behind him. He was glad when they were alone at the corner burger joint.

After they placed their orders, Amanda leaned on the table, smiling at him. "So, what's up? Did you have a good visit with your dad?"

"Um, pretty good, I guess."

"You're lucky you got to know him, you know."

Kelly looked away. He knew he was lucky, but sometimes he didn't feel that way. "Yeah… heh, you can borrow him sometime, if you want."

Amanda laughed. "Thanks, but Buttermaker's doing a lot better lately. He and my mom still aren't very chummy, but she doesn't mind him spending time with me."

"That's good. What's he think of your modeling?"

"He thinks I'm too young. Of course. But I can tell he thinks I'm good at it, too. I was wondering: you gonna stick with baseball? You'll be too old for the league soon, right?"

"Yeah, this is my last season here. I doubt I'll play after that."

"Really? What you want to do instead?"

"Maybe open a bike shop."

Amanda waved her hand skeptically. "That's what all you JD's say. Don't you want to do anything big?"

"Who cares about big? It's fun."

"Fair enough." She shrugged.

Their burgers and milkshakes arrived. Amanda took a sip of her shake. "Seen Kasey lately? That girl who was hanging with the team last year?"

"Yeah," Kelly said slowly. He knew he'd wanted to talk to Amanda about her, but he wasn't sure how much to say. "She got to be a good friend of the team. She used to come to our practices all the time."

"Not now?"

"She takes a lot of dance classes."

"Oh, right. That's how I got talking to her that one time—we'd seen each other at the studio. I'd like to see her again. We could all hang out."

"Mm… maybe." He couldn't bring himself to explain it yet. But he did feel very relaxed and more like his old self.

"I'm glad you came by," he told her when they were finished. "You should come to our game on Sunday."

"Sure, I should be able to," Amanda agreed. "Have the team save me a spot."

Kelly smiled. "They will."

"Amanda!" the Bears chorused warmly when she arrived in the dugout.

"Hi, guys. You better win this thing or man, am I gonna be disappointed."

Kelly smiled and kept his attention on Amanda and his teammates—to avoid looking out at the stands where they had spotted Kasey sitting with Bobby Meyers.

But inevitably, Tanner opened his mouth, and the team began discussing her once again.

Kelly couldn't help it; he looked up to see what they were talking about. He saw Kasey take Bobby's hand. He felt his face getting warm. Not good. Then to his surprise, he saw Bobby push Kasey's hand away.

"What's his problem?" Amanda wondered aloud. "I thought boys liked as much contact as possible."

"They're not all perverted," Ogilvie defended his gender.

"Maybe he just doesn't like her being clingy in public," Kelly heard himself say. "She… does that."

The coach stepped out in front of them. "Boys," he said seriously, "if Kasey Gooding's love life costs us this game, then so help me, I'll—"

"You'll what, quit?" Kelly supplied.

"Go ahead and quit," said Tanner. "We never liked ya anyway."

"And we've done fine without a coach before," Engelberg put in.

"Shut up and play ball!" the coach roared.

The game was close, but the Bears squeaked a win. The coach remarked that they were miraculously still in the championship, despite the current "distractions."

Amanda showed up for their next practice… and so did Kasey.

The coach gave up on trying to get anything constructive done as the team flocked around Kasey.

"Where've you been?" Tanner asked baldly.

"I've been busy, Tanner," Kasey answered, "but I'm here now, right?"

Kelly hung back, not knowing what he would say to Kasey. Maybe it was good enough for now to just see her back with the team.

"Does this mean you've got your team loyalty back?" Carmen asked.

Kasey gave an uneasy-looking smile. "I never gave up on you guys. Just because I'm hanging out with Bobby a lot doesn't mean I don't like you anymore."

Kelly lit a cigarette. She'd said "a lot." She was seeing him a lot. And the team hardly at all. He felt like there was a dark cloud hanging over him. And in a way, there was…

"Dammit, Leak, put out that cigarette! You're sending up a dark cloud over the field!"

Kelly groaned. "Just leave me alone, coach," he muttered.

"I thought you quit," Lupis told him.

"Sure, I did. For a week while Mike was here. It was hell. So I started again. You got a problem with it, Looper?"

"Uh… no," Lupis said, taking a step away from Kelly.

"Oh, leave him alone," Amanda said. Then she turned back to Kasey. "So, I hear you're still dancing. Anything big lately?"

"She just had a heck of a ballet performance," Tanner declared.

Toby nodded. "We all went to see her at the center."

Amanda glanced sharply in Kelly's direction. "Really. That's cool."

Kelly tossed his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "Come on, guys. It's Yankees next—we need to be on top."

The girls kept each other company on the bench until practice was over. Kasey said goodbye quickly and went on her way. The Bears left one or two at a time.

"Kelly," Amanda called. "Give me a lift home?"

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "OK, let's go."

He dropped Amanda off at the end of her driveway a few minutes later.

"Thanks for the ride."

"No problem. It's nice to have you around again."

"Sure. Kelly?"

"What?"

Amanda pressed her lips together in a thoughtful expression. "I just want you to know that I know it's not easy…"

"What's not?"

She sighed. "Being jealous."

Kelly mentally scrambled for words. "Uh… what do you mean?"

"Cut the crap, Kelly Leak. I know you've got the hots for Kasey, and it's killing you to see her with Bobby."

"Now, hold on—"

"No, you hold on. I don't know if things can work out between you or not, but you won't even have her as a friend if you keep being so cold to her."

Kelly looked at the ground. He'd wanted Amanda's advice, but he didn't want her to make it seem like this was his fault. Girls.

"When she came to practice today, you didn't even say hi to her. How can you expect her to know you want to be her friend if you don't even greet her? If you ask me, I'd say you're damn lucky she comes around you at all. And if you want things to get better, you have to give something on your end. Got it?"

He looked back up at her, intending to tell her off, but all he said was, "Yeah."

Amanda nodded and started for her house. "I'll see you around."

"Hey, uh… thanks. Really."

She looked back and smiled. "No problem."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome._


	5. Worry

_On with the show. :)

* * *

_Amanda visited team practices every week or so after that. The team was glad to have her back, and Kasey came frequently, too. The two girls got along well and kept each other entertained during the boring parts of practice.

One morning, Amanda noticed that Kasey was quieter than usual. "You look tired," she observed.

"Yeah," Kasey said. "I've had some late practices. And I've been applying for dance scholarships. I want to go to a really good school of dance."

Amanda nodded. She thought the explanation sounded forced. "I'm ready for a bathroom break; how about you?"

"Sure." Kasey stood and followed Amanda to the public restroom near the concessions stand.

"So, Kelly says he wants to start a bike shop," Amanda said as she washed her hands. "You think he will?"

"Probably," Kasey said from inside her stall. "He usually does whatever he wants." She emerged and joined Amanda at the sink. She started to roll up one sleeve, then stopped and pushed it back down.

"Kasey… is that a bruise?"

"Um, yeah," Kasey said sheepishly. "Caught my arm in a door."

Amanda raised one eyebrow. "Must have been a heavy door. It's huge."

"What can I say—I'm a klutz."

Amanda didn't press her further, but when practice was over and the team was breaking up she pulled Kelly away from the others.

"OK, what is it?" Kelly asked, sounding annoyed.

"Have you ever known Kasey to be a klutz?"

"Uh… no," he said slowly. "Actually, less than most people. That's probably why she's so good at dancing… that or dancing makes her less clumsy. Whatever."

"Yeah. That's what I thought." She told Kelly about the bruise she'd seen on Kasey's forearm.

"Not a chance," Kelly said immediately. "She didn't shut it in a door."

"So, what is she hiding?"

"Either she was doing something crazy she doesn't want us to know about, or she's protecting the person who hurt her."

"OK, so she was trying out some crazy new kind of dance and almost fell and someone grabbed her arm to keep her from hitting her head on the floor…"

Kelly shook his head. "That's really far-fetched."

"I know." Amanda started again. "So maybe her father had too much to drink and got out of control?"

"Nah… He's not the best dad in the world, but I don't think he'd get violent, even if he was drunk."

"Someone else, then?"

"We're both thinking it."

"I'm only thinking it because I know you are," Amanda snapped. "But… yeah. OK. I guess it would make sense, since this kind of thing hasn't happened before, and she's only been dating him a few weeks. What should we do?"

"Pound the snot out of him."

"We can't do that—we don't have proof. We don't even have Kasey's say-so."

"So, we get it." With that, Kelly walked away to his bike and sped off.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" Tanner asked.

Amanda forced a smile. "Dunno. Let's go get ice cream."

The Bears still within earshot heartily agreed and they turned as one in the direction of the nearest soft-serve. Amanda followed them, trying to keep her mind off Kasey and what Kelly might be doing.

* * *

Kasey's home was only about a mile from the diamond, so she often walked there and back if she wasn't in a hurry. Kelly soon caught up with her. He pulled just ahead of her and cut his engine.

"Kas."

Kasey looked uncertain. "Yeah… what?"

Kelly hesitated. Now that he had her cornered, he didn't know what to say. "I… I was wondering how you've been."

She looked skeptical.

"I mean… you've been acting kind of… tired. And sore," he added, suddenly realizing that he'd subconsciously noticed her slow movement the last couple of times he'd seen her.

She stared at him blankly. "I'm fine. Why do you care?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just an old fling. Why do you care if I'm tired?"

Kelly looked at the ground. "I still think of you as a friend. I'm just worried."

Kasey laughed, but she didn't sound amused. "Your friend, huh? I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies. You've been acting like a total stranger."

He was about to answer when Bobby Meyers pulled up behind Kasey in his car. Kelly gritted his teeth. He bet Bobby only had a learner's permit.

"Hey, Kase—want a lift?"

"I'll take you home," Kelly said quickly. "Come on…" He reached out for her.

Kasey pushed his hand away. "Just leave me alone, Kelly. You're not helping." She hurried away and got into Bobby's car.

Kelly heard the stick-shift's gears grinding as Bobby drove off. Definitely couldn't have his license yet, if he'd been tested in a standard. _Idiot's gonna wreck that car before he can legally drive it by himself._

Not that Kelly could claim to be better—he'd been riding his motorcycle on public roads since he was ten.

He rode away slowly, wondering what to do. It seemed that as long as Kasey wouldn't talk about the problem, he'd have to keep an eye on her and get proof for himself.

* * *

_The plot thickens! xp hope you're enjoying. Comments welcome._


	6. Rescue

_Bwaha, the climax you've been waiting for...  
_

* * *

"Kelly, Tanner called," Kelly's mother told him as soon as he walked in the door after practice.

"I just saw him—what did he want?"

Kasey hadn't been there today. Kelly had thought about going to her house, but he remembered that she had threatened to have him chased off.

"He said it was something important about the team, but he wouldn't say what it was."

Kelly sighed. "OK. Guess I better call him back."

When Kelly got Tanner on the phone, the younger boy said, "It's about Kasey."

"I thought it was about the team."

"This is about the cruddy team, Kelly. We need Kasey back. And you're not the only one who's been keeping an eye on her."

Kelly frowned at the wall. "So?"

"So, Bobby Meyers is having a keg party tonight while his folks are away. Kasey's going."

"How do you even know this stuff?" Kelly asked incredulously.

"Carmen told me but he said not tell you he told me."

Kelly rolled his eyes. "Right. What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Follow her! Spy on 'er, keep an eye on 'er, make sure she doesn't get in trouble… duh."

"Is that what you'd do?"

"Sure, except if anyone in the area sees me, they'll know I'm up to something—I'm not the right age to go to a party like that," Tanner said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, you'd better get ready now if you're gonna try to fit in. I gotta go." He hung up.

Kelly stared at the phone in his hand for a while. Sometimes he didn't know what to do with Tanner.

"Hey, Mom? Could you… give me a quick haircut?"

* * *

Kelly kept a very low profile. He showed up a little late, when the kids were already starting to act tipsy, so his arrival wouldn't attract much attention. Bobby's house had a very large closed-in porch at the back, and that was where everyone was partying.

He spotted Kasey sitting in a corner with her trademark water bottle and he smiled, remembering the beer-sipping lesson he'd given her in Houston. Apparently she still didn't like alcohol enough to try it.

Someone passed Kelly a Styrofoam cup and he took it mechanically, not wanting to disrupt the atmosphere. He pretended to drink from it now and then as he searched the room for Bobby.

There he was—he'd gone to Kasey's seat and offered her a drink from his beer bottle. Kelly could tell when she turned him down. With a devious smirk, Bobby leaned over to her and said something very quietly.

Kelly wished he knew what Bobby had said; the nervous look on Kasey's face made him imagine the worst possibilities. She brushed at the hair hanging around her face with one hand, and Kelly realized he'd seen the gesture before when Kasey was embarrassed or worried. _Don't let him do that to you, Kas,_ he thought.

A moment later Bobby was leading Kasey through the porch's screen door. Kelly wandered slowly to one of the large, screened windows and observed the direction the two shadowy forms took. He waited a moment, then slipped out the door after them.

Bobby and Kasey were walking down a little path that went between some shaped bushes in the back garden. Kelly crept behind one of the bushes and listened, hardly daring to breathe for fear of missing something important.

"They're really bright tonight," Bobby said.

"You should see it from my place," Kasey answered. "The sky's a lot more open…" she broke off suddenly.

"What?" Bobby's voice sounded irritated.

"I don't want you to kiss me. Not now. Not tonight."

"Why not? It's a nice warm night, the stars are beautiful…"

"…and there's a keg party going on behind us. Not very romantic."

Bobby growled. "What is it with all this hard-to-get crap? What's it take?"

Kelly didn't know what to think yet, but he knew he didn't have grounds to interfere, so he listened harder than ever.

"I'm not playing hard to get," Kasey protested.

"Yeah? Show me."

"Bobby… Bobby, let's wait until some other time…" Kasey's voice sounded near panic now. "You've been drinking remember? You—"

"Shut up!"

Kelly heard something that sounded like a slap. He abandoned his quiet crouching and jogged around the bushes.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," Kasey was saying in a pleading tone. "Wait—"

Kelly could see their dark figures more clearly now that his eyes had adjusted. Bobby had his arms around Kasey's waist and he seemed to be holding her tightly against him while she leaned away.

Bobby pulled his hand back, but a vice-like grip kept him from bringing it down on Kasey.

"Let her go," Kelly said in a tight voice like cold metal.

Bobby did let go of Kasey, stepping back and lunging at Kelly, shouting something ugly as he came.

Kelly ducked and delivered a heavy blow to Bobby's stomach. He came back up and used a sweeping kick to knock Bobby off his feet. He twisted Bobby's arm (which he had never let go of) around behind Bobby's back until he gasped in pain.

"I'm only gonna say this once," Kelly told his victim. "Next time you touch her, I'll break your arm. Got that?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good." Kelly got up, took Kasey's hand and led her quickly away. When they were back in the dim light from the porch windows they heard Bobby yelling after them.

"You're dead meat, Leak! You're dead where you stand! Just you wait…"

Then Kelly was starting his bike and they couldn't hear him anymore. Kasey silently climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

When they got out on the road, Kelly felt the weight of Kasey's head on his shoulder.

* * *

_There will be one more chapter to wrap things up. :)_


	7. Peace

_Last chapter. Hope you like it!  
_

* * *

"Sit down," Kelly said, directing Kasey toward the couch as if it were his house.

Kasey sat and waited while Kelly went out to the kitchen. She heard him rummaging around and smiled a little to herself. Boys could always find their way around a kitchen even if they'd rarely been there before. He soon returned with a lumpy bundle that he held out to her.

She knew without looking that he'd put ice cubes in a plastic zipper bag and wrapped it in a dish towel. She took the home-made ice pack from him and pressed it against her sore cheek. "Thanks."

He sat beside her and waited in silence.

Kasey didn't know what to say, but she knew he was waiting for her to start. "I don't know if I like the idea of you stalking me," she said slowly, "but I'm glad you were there."

"Yeah."

That wasn't very helpful. She took a deep breath. "The other day… when I told you that you weren't helping… I mostly said that because Bobby was there and I didn't want him to be jealous. He doesn't like it if I talk about you, and there I was talking to you… I know it wasn't right, but…"

"OK." He paused, then said, "It really frustrated me then, but then I thought maybe you said it that way—that I wasn't helping—to let me know there was a way that I could help if I kept trying. I don't know if that's what you meant."

"I don't know either," she admitted.

"Anyway, I know I was a real jerk to you—saying you were just a fling. It's not like that at all. It's just that I don't understand everything myself, and I have a hard time telling you what you mean to me."

"Are you sorry?"

"Hell, yeah."

Kasey smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Me too," she said. "I shouldn't try to push you into a commitment if you're not ready."

Kelly wrapped an arm around her. "Well… I'm committed to being your friend, that's for sure. And maybe I'd like to try being your boyfriend. I just want…"

"You want to keep your freedom," Kasey said wryly. "I get that. So… how about if we work on solidifying the friends thing, and add more gradually? See what happens."

"I could go for that," Kelly said, resting his head on top of hers. "I do have one boyfriend-type request, though."

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever meet up with Bobby Meyers alone again."

"You don't need to worry about that."

"And if he bothers you, tell me."

"I don't want you to kill him."

"Aw, why not?" Kelly laughed quietly.

"You should be careful of him, though… he sounded really mad. And I wouldn't put it past him to get his team to gang up on you."

"Heh, Tanner and I could take all of 'em easy."

She tipped her head back to look at his face. "Just be careful, ok?"

He kissed her forehead. "I will. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"If you do ever go out with someone else, at least pick someone who can drive."

Kasey laughed. "OK, I'll give you that one." She pulled her legs up onto the couch and snuggled against his chest. "You know, I have the same trouble as you sometimes. I don't know how to say what you mean to me either. Maybe we just need to take our time. And I'll try to show you."

He took the ice pack and held it in place for her. "That sounds like a plan. And I'll try to show what you mean to me."

The house's automatic timer switched the living room lights off a few minutes later, but they were already asleep.

* * *

_The End. They lived in happy turbulence ever after... xD_


End file.
